Disk drive

ABSTRACT

A disk drive ( 1 ) is proposed, having a draw-in device ( 5 ) for disk-shaped storage media ( 10 ), which prevents damage to the playoff area of such storage media ( 10 ). The draw-in device ( 5 ) includes a threaded rod ( 15 ) having an axis of rotation ( 20 ) in the push-in direction ( 25 ) of the storage medium ( 10 ). The course of thread ( 30 ) of threaded rod ( 15 ) acts together with the edge region ( 35 ) of a storage medium ( 10 ) inserted into the draw-in device ( 5 ) in such a way that the storage medium ( 10 ) is drawn into the disk drive ( 1 ) or pushed out of the disk drive ( 1 ) by the rotation of the threaded rod ( 15 ), depending on the direction of rotation ( 40 ).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0001] The present invention relates to a disk drive according to thedefinition of the species of the main claim.

[0002] Disk drives are known which are designed as compact disk playerswhich have a draw-in device for disk-shaped storage media, such as forcompact disks. Such a draw-in device is usually designed as a rollerdraw-in device having at least one roller which draws the storage mediumto be played into the disk drive or ejects it therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] By contrast, the disk drive according to the present invention,having the features of the main claim, has the advantage that thedraw-in device includes a threaded rod having a rotary axis in theinsertion direction of the storage medium, and that the course of threadof the threaded rod cooperates with the edge region of a storage mediumintroduced into the draw-in device in such a way that the storage mediumis drawn into the disk drive or pushed out of the disk drive by therotation of the threaded rod, and depending on the direction of therotation. In this manner, a disk-shaped storage medium is drawn into thedisk drive or pushed out of it only via its side edges in the edgeregion of the storage medium, without stress to the playoff area. Damageto the playoff area of the storage medium by dust and dirt particles, asmay appear during drawing in and pushing out with the aid of a rollermay thus be prevented, without a greater constructive expenditure beingrequired for this.

[0004] Advantageous further refinements and improvements of the methodindicated in the main claim are rendered possible by measures specifiedin the dependent claims.

[0005] It is particularly advantageous that the pitch of the course ofthread is selected, compared to the radius of the storage medium, insuch a way that the threaded rod becomes engaged directly with the edgeregion of the storage medium when it is inserted into, or pushed out ofthe disk drive. In this way, an accurate positioning of the disk-shapedstorage medium during insertion in and ejection from the disk drive ispossible, at least construction cost, since the storage medium is in aspecified position, based on the direct contact of its side edge withthe course of thread of the threaded rod. In this fashion, also, a formlocked force transmission is brought about.

[0006] It is also of particular advantage that a guide element having aninner thread is provided; that the guide element is screwed onto thethreaded rod and may be moved along it by rotation of the threaded rod;that the guide element includes an accommodation which accommodates apart of the edge region of the storage medium to be transported, so thatthe storage medium is drawn into, or pushed out of the disk drive by therotation of the threaded rod with the aid of the guide element,depending on the direction of rotation.

[0007] In this way, a form locked force transmission, while drawing thestorage medium into the disk drive or while pushing it out, is alsopossible. In addition, in this manner, an accurate positioning of thestorage medium is put into effect at insertion into and ejection fromthe disk drive, since the storage medium is held in a definite positionby the accommodation.

[0008] A further advantage in the use of an accommodation is that thestorage medium, at its widest part, may also be transported beyond theend of the threaded rod, if the accommodation is situated on the guideelement in an appropriately offset manner. Then the accommodation may betransported into a fixture cap of the disk drive, and may make possiblea further pushing out of the storage medium from the disk drive.Conversely, the storage medium has to be pushed less far into the diskdrive by the user, until it is grabbed by the accommodation for furtherpushing-in. This enhances the ease of operation for the user.

[0009] A still further advantage is that the accommodation includes atleast one fixing element for fixing the storage medium in theaccommodation. In this way, having the storage medium slip out of theaccommodation is prevented.

[0010] A further advantage is that the at least one fixing element issupported rotatably on the receptacle. Thereby frictional forces arereduced when the storage medium is transported into, or out of the diskdrive. The storage medium then carries out a rotating movement when thestorage medium is transported into or out of the disk drive, especiallyif it has a circular circumference, and is thus transported into or outof the disk drive, not with the aid of sliding friction but ratherrolling friction.

[0011] A still further advantage is that the guide element includes adepth-limiting element which is positioned, on the side of thereceptacle facing away from a draw-in opening of the disk drive, in sucha way that it prevents the storage medium from being pushed in past thereceptacle. In this manner it is ensured that the storage medium cannotbe pushed too deeply into the disk drive, and does not go beyond theactual catch position defined by the receptacle.

[0012] It is particularly advantageous that the disk drive has a guiderail in which the edge region of the storage medium is guided on itsside facing away from the threaded rod, when the storage medium ispushed into, or pushed out of the disk drive. In this way, a straightline movement of the storage medium is ensured during its transport intoor out of the disk drive.

[0013] Yet another advantage is that at least one springy element isprovided which presses the guide rail against the storage medium in thedirection towards the threaded rod, when the storage medium is pushedinto, or when the storage medium is pushed out of the disk drive. Inthis way, the storage medium is clamped in a defined position by theguide rail and the threaded rod, or rather the shiftable guide elementon the threaded rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Specific embodiments of the present invention are shown in thedrawings and explained in greater detail in the following specification.The figures show:

[0015]FIG. 1 a first specific embodiment of a disk drive according tothe present invention,

[0016]FIG. 2 a second specific embodiment of the disk drive according tothe present invention and

[0017]FIG. 3 a third specific embodiment according to the disk driveaccording to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0018] In FIG. 1, 1 identifies a disk drive for playing off or recordingon disk-shaped storage media 10. With regard to disk drive 1, a compactdisk player may, for example, be involved, or a minidisk player, a DVDplayer (digital versatile disk), a compact disk changer, an MP3 player(MPEG Layer 3, MPEG=Motion Picture Expert Group) or the like.Correspondingly, disk-shaped storage medium 10 is then a compact disk, amini-disk, a DVD disk, an MP3 disk or the like. In this context, storagemedium 10 has a circular circumference in this exemplary embodiment.This, however, is not necessary for the implementation of the presentinvention. Disk drive 1 includes an insertion opening 85, via whichstorage medium 10 is insertable into disk drive 1 or is able to bepushed out of disk drive 1. Disk drive 1 also includes a threaded rod 15having an axis of rotation 20 which is present in insertion direction 25of storage medium 10, and thus perpendicular to insertion opening 85 ofdisk drive 1. The thread of threaded rod 15 is defined by a course ofthread. Threaded rod 15 may be motor-driven, the motor being able torotate threaded rod 15 about its axis of rotation 20 in two oppositerotational directions 40. Threaded rod 15 is situated at one end ofinsertion opening 85. Parallel to threaded rod 15 and lying opposite toit at the other end of insertion opening 85, disk drive 1 includes aguide rail 90. Guide rail 90 is able to be connected via a first springelement 95 and a second spring element 100 to the body of disk drive 1,the springy elements 95, 100 being situated on the side of guide rail 90facing away from threaded rod 15, so as to be able to push guide rail 90in the direction towards threaded rod 15. In place of first springyelement 95 and second springy element 100, there may also be providedonly one springy element or more than two springy elements, in acorresponding manner. However, by using at least two springy elements,an especially stable support of guide rail 90 in disk drive 1 mayalready be effected, particularly when both springy elements 95, 100 arepositioned at the ends of guide rail 90, as shown in FIG. 1. Threadedrod 15 and guide rail 90, together with first springy element 95 andsecond springy element 100 form an insertion 5 for storage medium 10, asin FIG. 1.

[0019] The distance of guide rail 90 from threaded rod 15 correspondsapproximately to the width of storage medium 10, that is, in the case ofa storage medium 10 having a circular circumference as in FIG. 1, thediameter of storage medium 10. In order to be able to draw storagemedium 10 into the disk drive or push it out from the disk drive, safelyand in a specific position, the distance of guide rail 90 from threadedrod 15 is very little smaller than the diameter of storage medium. Thatis why, when storage medium 10 is inserted into disk drive 1 via draw-incompartment 85, guide rail 90 is first of all gently pushed away fromthreaded rod 15. Thus, storage medium 10 engages guide rail 90 on oneside and course of thread 30 of threaded rod 15 on the other side. Inthis context, the pitch of course of thread 30 has to be selected inrelationship to radius 45 of the storage medium in such a way that edgeregion 35 of storage medium 10, that is, the side edge of storage medium10, may engage directly with one turn of course of thread 30. Now, ifthreaded rod 15 is turned towards the left about axis of rotation 20,storage medium 10 is drawn into the inside of disk drive 1, by threadedrod 15 via its edge region 35. On the side opposite threaded rod 15,edge region 25 of storage medium 10 is guided in guide rail 90, which,on account of springy elements 95, 100, presses storage medium 10against threaded rod 15, and thus makes possible a secure sliding in ofstorage medium 10 in a specific position into disk drive 1. In this way,storage medium 10 may be brought exactly into recording or playoffposition in disk drive 1. Ejection of storage medium 10 from disk drive1 takes place correspondingly in the opposite manner, threaded rod 15,in this case, being rotated to the right about axis of rotation 20.Thus, during transport into or out of disk drive 1, threaded rod 15engages storage medium 10 in a form-locking manner, guide rail 90ensuring a straight line motion of storage medium 10.

[0020] A second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shownin FIG. 2, the same reference numerals characterizing the same elementsas in FIG. 1. By contrast with the first exemplary embodiment as in FIG.2, in the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, storagemedium 10 is no longer transported by direct engagement of its edgeregion or its side edge 35 with threaded rod 15 into or out of diskdrive 1, but is movable along threaded rod 15 via a guide element 50,which, furnished with an inner thread, is screwed onto threaded rod 15,and by rotating threaded rod 15 about axis of rotation 20. To do this,guide element 50 includes an accommodation 55, which accommodates a partof side edge 35 of storage medium 10. Transport of storage medium 10into or out of disk drive 1 is thus performed in principle in the sameway as in the first exemplary embodiment as in FIG. 1, with theexception that storage medium 10 is no longer in direct engagement withthreaded rod 15, but indirectly with it via accommodation 55. Byrotation of threaded rod 15 to the left about axis of rotation 20, guideelement 50 along with accommodation 55, and thus along with storagemedium 10, is moved into the interior of disk drive 1. If threaded rod15 is rotated to the right about axis of rotation 20, guide element 50along with accommodation 55 and thus with storage medium 10 is moved outof disk drive 1. Now, in FIG. 2 a fixture cap 105 of disk drive 1 isshown, which encloses draw-in opening 85. According to FIG. 2, guiderail 90 extends into fixture cap 105. Now, if accommodation 55 ispositioned shifted to an extent with respect to draw-in opening 85 onguide element 50, and not symmetrically with respect to guide element 50as shown in FIG. 2, the consequence is that storage medium 10 can bepushed further out of draw-in opening 85 than is possible in the case ofdirect engagement with threaded rod 15.

[0021] An accommodation 55 positioned in an offset manner on guideelement 50 in the direction towards draw-in opening 85 may be seen inthe third exemplary embodiment as in FIG. 3.

[0022] When there is direct engagement of storage medium 10 withthreaded rod 15, the eject process is ended when storage medium 10 atits widest part has reached the end of threaded rod 15 facing draw-inopening 85. However, when accommodation 55 is positioned offset to guideelement 50 in the direction towards draw-in opening 85, storage medium10 can still be transported with the aid of accommodation 55 and guiderail 90 even when the widest part of storage medium 10 has passed theend of threaded rod 15 facing draw-in opening 85, in the directiontowards draw-in opening 85. The other way around, when storage medium 10is pushed in, it can be grabbed early by draw-in device 5, or ratherguide rail 90 and accommodation 55, indeed even before the widest partof storage medium 10 has passed the end of threaded rod 15 facingdraw-in opening 85. Insertion and retrieval of storage medium 10 into orout of disk drive 1 respectively thus becomes especially user-friendly.

[0023] In this context, accommodation 55 may also be moved into fixturecap 105, in order to make possible this more user-friendly ejecting ordrawing in of storage medium 10 from or into disk drive 1, respectively.

[0024] In the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2,accommodation 55 is designed in such a way that it includes a depression60 facing storage medium 10, which encloses a part of side edge 35 ofstorage medium 10. Depression 60 thus spans a circular arc-shapedbordering surface whose radius is the same as radius 45 of storagemedium 10.

[0025] Now, in addition, it may be provided that accommodation 55includes at least one fixing element for fixing storage medium 10 ataccommodation 55. In this way it may be prevented that storage medium 10slips out of accommodation 55 during its transport into or out of diskdrive 1. According to FIG. 2, a first fixing element 65 and a thirdfixing element 75 are provided, which are each positioned at one end ofaccommodation 55 that faces storage medium 10. In this connection,fixing elements 65, 75 is able to be supported in spring fashion onaccommodation 55, so that when storage medium 10 is brought intoaccommodation 55 they first spring back, and then, when storage medium10 has been brought into accommodation 55, they press on it in thedirection of guide rail 90. With the aid of the two fixing elements 65,75 and because of storage medium 10 lying against guide rail 90, storagemedium 10 is held and is transported into and out of disk in a stablethree-point support in a definite position.

[0026] Now, in addition, the at least one fixing element or the twofixing elements 65, 75 are able to be supported rotatably onaccommodation 55, according to FIG. 2. In this manner, frictional forcesare reduced during the transport of storage medium 10 into or out ofdisk drive 1. The sliding friction of storage medium 10 on guide rail 90and fixing elements 65, 75 then becomes a rolling friction. Fixingelements 65, 75 may in this case possibly be designed in circular-shapedcircumference.

[0027] In a third exemplary embodiment as in FIG. 3, again, the samereference numerals refer to the same elements as in the previousfigures. In this case, the third exemplary embodiment as in FIG. 3 isbased on the second specific embodiment as in FIG. 2 with regard to thetransporting mechanism and the use of guide element 50 and accommodation55. Now, in addition, in the third exemplary embodiment as in FIG. 3,guide element 50 includes a depth-limiting element 80 which ispositioned on a side of accommodation 55 facing away from draw-inopening 85 of disk drive 1. According to FIG. 3, depth-limiting element80 is designed as a crosspiece running perpendicular to threaded rod 15and guide rail 90, whose length is approximately half the distancebetween threaded rod 15 and guide rail 90. As shown in FIG. 3,depth-limiting element 80 is formed even a little longer than this halfof the separation distance. In the third specific embodiment accordingto FIG. 3, depth-limiting element 80 is positioned at one end of guideelement 50. At the other end, and thus offset in the directions towardsdraw-in opening 85, accommodation 55 is situated on guide element 50.The distance between accommodation 55 and depth-limiting element 80amounts, thus, approximately to radius 45 of storage medium 10. In thiscontext, the length of guide element 50 on threaded rod 15 alsoequivalent to radius 45. Using this arrangement, it may be avoided thatstorage medium 10 is pushed into disk drive 1 beyond accommodation 55.Pushing it in farther is blocked by depth-limiting element 80.

[0028] According to FIG. 3, depth-limiting element 80 may also includeone or more fixing elements for fixing storage medium 10 todepth-limiting element 80. For this purpose, according to FIG. 3,depth-limiting element 80 has a second fixing element 70 at its endfacing away from guide element 50, which may also be supported inspringy fashion on depth-limiting element 80 so as to press againststorage medium 10, in the same manner as described for the secondexemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2. In this context, according toFIG. 3, only one fixing element is positioned on accommodation 55,namely first fixing element 65, at the end of accommodation 55 facingdraw-in opening 85. Thus, in the third specific embodiment according toFIG. 3, storage medium 10 is held by first fixing element 65, secondfixing element 70 and guide rail 90 in a stable three-point support, andin this way it may be transported in a definite position into and out ofdisk drive 1. If second fixing element 70 is supported rotatably ondepth-limiting element 80, and first fixing element 65 is supportedrotatably on accommodation 55, the rolling friction already describedfor the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 can be achievedduring the transport of storage medium 10 into and out of disk drive 1.

[0029] Second fixing element 70 may, for example, be furnished with acircular circumference. Furthermore, in the case of the third specificembodiment according to FIG. 3, third fixing element 75 may also bepositioned at the end of accommodation 55 facing away from draw-inopening 85 as described in FIG. 2, in addition to or alternatively tofirst fixing element 65.

[0030] Disk drive 1 according to the present invention is particularlysuitable for mobile use, for example in motor vehicles, since it may bedesigned sparingly in construction, and thus in a space-saving manner.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disk drive (1) having a draw-in device (5) fordisk-shaped storage media (10), wherein the draw-in device (5) includesa threaded rod (15) having an axis of rotation (20) in the slide-indirection (25) of the storage medium (10); and the course of thread (30)of the threaded rod (15) cooperates with the edge region (35) of astorage medium (10) introduced into the draw-in device (5) in such a waythat the storage medium (10), by rotation of threaded rod (15), is drawninto the disk drive (1) or pushed out of disk drive (1), depending onthe direction of the rotation (40).
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the pitch of the course of thread (30) is selected, compared tothe radius (45) of the storage medium (10), in such a way that thethreaded rod (15) becomes engaged directly with the edge region (35) ofthe storage medium (10) when it is inserted into, or pushed out of thedisk drive (1).
 3. The disk drive (1) as recited in claim 1, wherein aguide element (50) having an inner thread is provided; the guide element(50) is screwed onto the threaded rod (15) and may be moved along it byrotation of the threaded rod (15); the guide element (50) includes anaccommodation (55) which accommodates a part of the edge region (35) ofthe storage medium (10) to be transported, so that the storage medium(10) is drawn into the disk drive (1) or pushed out of the disk drive(1) by the rotation of the threaded rod (15) with the aid of the guideelement, depending on the direction of rotation (40).
 4. The disk drive(1) as recited in claim 3, wherein the accommodation (55) includes adepression (60) facing a storage medium (10) to be transported, whichencloses a part of the edge region (35) of the storage medium (10) withform locking.
 5. The disk drive (1) as recited in claim 4, wherein theaccommodation (55) includes at least one first fixing element (65, 75)for fixing the storage medium (10) to the accommodation (55).
 6. Thedisk drive (1) as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least first fixingelement (65, 75) is rotatably supported on the accommodation (55). 7.The disk drive (1) as recited in claim 5 or 6, wherein the at leastfirst fixing element (65, 75) is positioned at one end of theaccommodation (55).
 8. The disk drive (1) as recited in one of claims 3through 7, wherein the guide element (50) includes a depth-limitingelement (80) which is situated on the side of the accommodation (55)facing away from a draw-in opening (85) of the disk drive (1) in such away that it prevents the storage medium (10) from being pushed in beyondthe accommodation (55).
 9. The disk drive (1) as recited in claim 8,wherein the depth-limiting element (80) includes at least one secondfixing element (70) for fixing the storage medium (10) to thedepth-limiting element (80).
 10. The disk drive (1) as recited in claim9, wherein the at least one second fixing element (70) is rotatablysupported on the depth-limiting element (80).
 11. The disk drive (1) asrecited in claim 9 or 10, wherein the at least one second fixing element(70) is situated at one end of the depth-limiting element (80).
 12. Thedisk drive (1) as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein thedisk drive (1) has a guide rail (90) in which the edge region (35) ofstorage medium (10) is guided on its side facing away from the threadedrod (15) when it is pushed into, or pushed out of the disk drive (1).13. The disk drive (1) as recited in claim 12, wherein at least onespringy element (95, 100) is provided, which presses the guide rail (90)against the storage medium (10) in the direction towards the threadedrod (15) when the storage medium (10) is being pushed into, or when thestorage medium (10) is being pushed out of the disk drive (1).